HECO says lightning strikes likely caused the power outage that affected thousands of Oahu residents this evening.
Power has been restored to most of the the areas.
And it not only affected businesses and folks at home — it also affected thousands of drivers.
It was a nightmare getting home for many Oahu residents.
Pau hana traffic was worse than usual in many areas.
Traffic lights were out along Waialae Avenue.
And Kaimuki was just one of many areas from town to East Oahu to Windward Oahu that were in the dark since 5pm.
Approximately 60,000 customers were affected by the power outage.
HECO says it appears lightning strikes caused two major transmission lines serving the Ko’olau and Pukele substations to go out of service.
Crews started restoring power to some customers starting at 6:30pm.
In the meantime, Mother Nature put on quite an electrifying show into the night.
"It’s pretty exciting from what I’ve seen so far."
This was shot from the H3 Freeway townbound.
"It’s pretty impressive. I haven’t seen lightning like that in years."
Bright bolts flashing against a dark sky — one after another after another, and accompanied by the roar of thunder.
"It’s actually kind of scary."
Fire officials say a Waianae resident got shocked by lightning while sitting in his own home, but he’s apparently okay.
The house on Ala Hema street has a large radio antenna.
"The lightning — I thought the rainy season was done, so I guess I was wrong."
And because the stormy weather is expected to last at least another day, HECO says be prepared for the possibility of more power outages.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
